If things are still tied whenever I conclude a vote involving stat allocations, I will favour continuing the average pattern of previous stat allocations.
Basically, 'staying the course' is considered the default tiebreaker.
The Vote is now closed.
[X] [AAP] +2 PHY (Tie breaker defaults to previous investments)
[X] [HVimE] Where one falls, two might thrive. I took her word at face value. I suggested we go to the building I'd seen. As a telepath, she could tell me if anything was already inside before we sought shelter.
[X] [AN] If she was 'Slippy', then I guess I was 'Splitter'.
Looks like we're going to be the brawn to Slippy's brains, at least for now.
Splitter: So, what other abilities do you have?
Slippy: Well, I've found that I can make some of my slime slightly acidic, but generally I've found yelling into the monster's brains is more effective. I've also found I can squeeze into really tight spaces, if necessary. That's...all I really know for now.
Splitter: Oh, you haven't figured out how to unlock your other Skills yet? Fair enough, I've only figured a few myself.
Slippy: ...Why do you say it like that?
Splitter: Sorry?
Slippy: When you said the word "skills", you gave it some sort of...emphasis, like it was an official "thing".
Splitter: Well, that's what the voice called them when I got my Blessing.
Slippy: ...When you got your what?
Splitter: You know, the Blessing with the 30-odd skills that get actively better the more I use them...but you should know that, since you have them too, right?
Slippy: ...
Splitter: Uh oh.
Well, if it's any consolation I've been using Homun to refer to all Homunculuses. See Homuns. Which I really like doing because of how similar it is to Humans. That seems like nothing more than a neat coincidence, but all Humans and Homuns need names.
There is more I want to talk about, but I did some work on where we should be putting our Attribute Points in the future. I'm busy right now, but I'll just leave the work I went through here for you guys to look over. It's not totally coherent, as they're notes for my own thoughts, but I want to put these here now for discussion. Just in case Sly drops the new chapter and the discussion becomes more urgent.
Here's my conclusion:
SOC first for the Perception cap, then MEN for the Life and Mentalism cap.
Sly's comment about Homun as a name says that the Human/Homun thing wasn't a coincidence, and who am I to assume that Sly would let something like that slide lol. With that information, I figured that Splitter's meaning with his magic wasn't a mere coincidence. Which would mean that Slippy's name can be a clue to what kind of Skills she has. So one of the things I wanted to play with was trying to guess that, but I think that can come later. Having an idea of the Primaries and Secondaries of our Skills is important, and it seems like it's up to us to try and figure things out.
Before I dive into my explanation from my previous post, and any further guesses with the other Skills, I felt like I should bring up a principle of Attribute Point Allocation in the future. We can respec Skills, but Attribute Points will always be where they are. This is to say, we should try to maximize how many Attribute Points we have. Even if we lose out on some munchkinry, it seems like allocating into sub-categories means we'll be missing out on the maximum amount of Attribute Points. There are three sub-categories in each category, and raising each sub-category only costs one Attribute Point. Whereas an entire category can be raised by one with two Attribute Points. That's to say, raising an entire category is like getting three points of value for the cost of two. With raising each sub-category being a one-to-one deal. If that makes sense. Suffice to say, I think we should try to plan our future Attribute Point Allocations around raising categories only.
Alright, on to my previous post.
Important Skills:
-Perception(15)[R]=SPD(?)
-Mentalism(11)[R]=SPD(?)
-Psionics(5)[R]=END(?)
-Analysis(7)[R]=CUN(?)
-Logic(7)[R]=CUN(?)
-First Aid(8)[R]=KNO(?)
-Life(12)[Af]=WIS(?)
I identified these seven Skills as the most important because they are the closest to the cap while not being heavy PHY. Acrobatics, Dodge, Athletics, Climbing, Unarmored, and Unarmed Combat. I still want to give a close look to these Skills, but I believe it's safe to assume that they have PHY primaries and if not then they're far enough away from the cap that we won't be caught unawares.
So, on to how I listed them. I've got what level they are, what type of Skill they are, and where they're placed on the table. Then I made guesses based on the Skill descriptions on the list, on the Attribute descriptions, on the Primary and Secondary trends, and on the Skill gains in the story.
Out of the seven Skills on the list, there were a number that went against the Primary and Secondary trends and their placements on the table. I'll try to explain how I reached my conclusions for those.
Perception is placed in the SPD category on the table. So the assumption would be that is it's Primary but I've guessed that INS and POI are it's Primary and Secondary.
Here is the description of SPD, compared to the description of Perception.
I came to the conclusion that these didn't really go together, so I went looking. This could be a CUN/KNO/WIS situation, but Perception didn't align with the other MEN Skills and those Attributes seemed far more introspective than anything. So I looked at SOC, and INS and POI seem to fit pretty well.
INS: Insight - How well you can read entities. Used to uncover a demon's secret, call a bishop's bluff, or avoid being stabbed in the back.
POI: Poise - How well you withstand other entities. Used to withstand interrogation, keep a blank face during a hearing, or keep dry eyes during a wedding.
Perception is about realization, so I think INS makes sense as a Primary. Whereas the resistance to Illusion and whatnot fits well with POI, so I put that one as the Secondary.
With the trend for Revelations being what it is, this isn't the biggest surprise.
Though this does discredit the table's validity as a source in figuring out Primaries and Secondaries. Though there is something to this to talk about, but I'll leave for after I get through this.
Mentalism was placed in SPD like Perception, and just like Perception I switched out the Primary completely. In this case, I concluded that it was WIS/KNO and I feel like it's a nice fit for the Skill. Here are the quotes:
Pushing down the pang of frustration, I tried coming at things from another angle. Starting with {Life}, I tried reach for anything that felt like 'Life'. Strength, Health, Energy… I really had no idea what I was doing. It didn't help that occasionally when I couldn't help but shift, the movement would send stabbing pain through one of my wounds. I kept pushing through, trying to centre my mind on the singular idea of me living.
Mentalism +1 (1)
It was immediately easier to concentrate.
Thanks. But not what I was going for.
I tried even harder, shifting between subtle nuances of what 'Life' could be represented as. I thought of it as a gift from above, a Well pulled from the centre of my soul, an omnipresent force to exchange with, a raw concept given form; all the while pushing aside any distraction.
This basically screams out WIS and KNO to me. WIS because of how much like meditation this is, and KNO because of the 'connection to disparate concepts' and how that fits in with how Splitter was trying to heal himself.
Of course I'm not sure which sub-category is the Primary, but that doesn't matter so much if we're only leveling categories.
As for the trends, the only thing of note is the Primary. Also the placement on the table, but later.
Next is Psionics, which is placed in END. I placed it in WIS and POI, and I also used the provided perk to help he figure this out. Though, actually, now that I've looked again I think this is another INS/POI Skill. But, here's the thing:
Psionics (60) Perk: Innate Reader
You may passively read the surface thoughts of any being with a Psionics Skill level less than half your own. This can be used to anticipate actions or decisions before even an individual is aware they will make them and all the advantages that implies.
If you are four times an individual's Psionics level, you can perfectly spoof a fake mindstate to deceive or misdirection them. Otherwise you must engage in an opposed DC to determine if they see through the projected illusion.
It hissed at me, a grating gravely sound. And I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to do so, but I hissed right back. I was just so done with this whole situation, I hated this swamp, I hated whatever the fuck this thing was, I hated it all. If a hiss could sound like a swear, that's the inflection I put in mine.
INS and POI are both SOC Attributes, which makes sense when you consider the use of Psionics. INS is the prediction and reading, and POI is the defenses against Psionic attacks and such.
This would make Psionics is a SOC/SOC Skill, which fits the trend.
Analysis is simpler by comparison. All I did was conclude that it's Secondary was KNO. Which makes sense when you connect CUN's description, with the 'connection of disparate concepts'.
This would be another MEN/MEN Revelation, though it's placement on the table is curious in it's own way. Again, since it's MEN/MEN it's cap is tied to the level of the category.
Next is Logic, which was placed in CUN. Though I feel like it's a ringer for KNO/WIS.
As I was thinking of Life as 'My Life, my state of being alive, able to thrive, change and grow', I felt it. A prickly prodding feeling flowing over my abdomen and immediately dulling the pain. It was deeply uncomfortable, I'd liken it to a sensation of being 'too full', like having eaten two meals and being told you had to eat a third. It was almost intense enough to make me stop save for the next System ping.
It seems like the bit about 'My Life' would qualify as a disparate concept, and maybe even the part about likening the sensation to being full. After that, I felt like CUN was the best fit with the Skill description.
I'm not sure if I have it right on which one is the Primary, but that's for later and it's still MEN/MEN.
Lastly, finally, is Life. It's placed in WIS, and I've concluded that it's Secondary is END. The Skill description doesn't say much, so I used the Attribution description and the part in the chapter when it leveled up.
The introspection is perfect for the meditation of WIS, and that fits with the trend of Affinities having a MEN Primary. I felt like that last bit with 'My Life' goes well with the idea Vital Energy and END. Which would also go with the trend of Affinities having PHY as a Secondary.
Phew! I'm done, but now I want to talk about the table and the placement of Skills.
On the table we can see that some Skills are colored green. With I just went through, it's also pretty clear that some Skills don't fit with their placements. My suspicion is that Skills that are slotted with their Primary slot gain some sort of bonus. An example would be the Life is slotted in Wisdom, and it's green. This'll take more to prove, but we can look at the Skills I just discussed.
Perception is placed in SPD, and I have it pegged as INS/POI.
Mentalism is placed in SPD, but I think WIS/KNO makes more sense.
Psionics is placed in END, but I think INS/POI is a better fit.
Analysis is placed in CUN, and I have it as CUN/KNO but it's totally possible that KNO is the Primary and CUN is the Secondary.
Logic is placed in CUN, but I would say that KNO/WIS makes more sense.
First Aid is placed in KNO, and I have it as KNO/CUN but like Analysis it's possible that I have to hear turned around.
And of course Life is in Wisdom, and that's the Primary I have it in.
So...yeah.
(E: There it is. I only need to do this 30 more times to figure out the rest of Splitter's Skills lol.)
Maybe those Skills will be ones that Splitter had when he was human. I don't know if such a thing would have mechanical benefits, but it would be a piece of character building and whatnot.
...Just noticed how the Chapters are titled as 0.X, rather than the traditional 1.X associated with the beginning of a story. Is this implying that this death-swamp is merely prologue and that we haven't actually encountered the REAL start of this roller coaster?
Indeed, Timezone GMT+10
From memory this usually means I'm about 16 or so hours ahead of most Americans. You're going to bed, but I'm already in tomorrow.
...Just noticed how the Chapters are titled as 0.X, rather than the traditional 1.X associated with the beginning of a story. Is this implying that this death-swamp is merely prologue and that we haven't actually encountered the REAL start of this roller coaster?
I don't consider it a real Quest yet because so much is outside your control. Finishing the first quest and surviving the Thinnlands will put you into the true setting for this story.
I don't consider it a real Quest yet because so much is outside your control. Finishing the first quest and surviving the Thinnlands will put you into the true setting for this story.
Ah, so it's like the tutorial section in Breath of the Wild to make sure you know what you're doing before you unlock the open world aspect.
There will be so many things to do! Crafting armor! Training your powers! Cooking food! Encountering the local peasantry who will scream and run into their cottages, begging you to take whatever you want, just please PLEASE don't eat their souls! Delving into dungeons! The possibilities are endless!
[X] [AAP] +2 PHY (Tie breaker defaults to previous investments)
[X] [HVimE] Where one falls, two might thrive. I took her word at face value. I suggested we go to the building I'd seen. As a telepath, she could tell me if anything was already inside before we sought shelter.
[X] [AN] If she was 'Slippy', then I guess I was 'Splitter'.
Chapter 0.4 - - The Thrill of Skill
The way Slippy's mucosal excretions gently trickled down her exoskeletal membrane had a sublime quality that took my breath away. Her overall bluish hue shyly hid deeper undertones of green and grey overlayed beneath her translucent skin, noticeable mostly from the way her internal organs shifted and squelched asynchronously to her movements.
She looked so fragile, her mostly gelatinous membranes sturdy enough to hold together, but likely to fall apart under even the slightest of traumas.
I realized I was staring, and coughed like I'd been distracted.
+2 PHY (8)
Incrementing {PHY} by a full two points had the desired effect of refocusing me. The first time I'd put a point in, I'd been nearly dead and half delirious. This time I could notice the full effects. Strength filled me all at once. I felt more sturdy, the air felt crisper and less damp; clenching my fists, I was surprised at how firm my grip had become. Clearly even a single point was no joke, and two were immediately noticeable.
'Whoa! How did you do that?' Slippy beamed into my mind, the concept of surprise with subtle undercurrents of concern flavouring her mindtone.
Ah, I didn't think of that.
In truth seeing her fragility had convinced me that being physically faster and stronger might have given me the most advantage if the girl turned out to be hostile or some monster's lure. But seeing her wide-eyed wonder persuaded me that Slippy was probably genuine.
Can you hear me if I think words at you?
I can! Oh it's so good to talk to someone! I've been here for hours.
'My name is Splitter,' I thought, hoping she'd drop the subject of me becoming noticeably more robust, 'Do you know where we are?'
Thankfully, the girl seemed easily distracted. She slunk closer as she answered me.
'Splitter, that's nice,' She answered, her tone turning pained as she continued. 'No idea, I woke up tied to a bench in a clear white room. There were minds all around me, but they never answered any of my questions or even acknowledged I was there. After what felt like an eternity, I got dumped out here through a portal.'
I couldn't help but notice that her leg-tentacles did not actually touch the branches she slid over, instead hovering ever so slightly off them. In the intervening gap, a slight green glow preceded the appearance of a viscous clear slime that held shape so long as she travelled over it, then sloughed off to fall down out of the canopy in liquifying chunks as she moved on. Branches did not sag or bend as she slid over them, not matter how thin they were. Slippy didn't look heavy, but there was obviously some magic at work there.
The more engaging thought that quickly struck me though was that our situations were the same. I'd suspected I'd been being watched in that clear room, Slippy's slightly more informative observations thanks to her innate telepathy all but confirmed that. Of course that begged the question of whether they also intended for us to meet out here, or if random chance and limited space was at play. I certainly considered other directions than south when I'd first ran, any other direction could have had me running into someone/thing else or nothing at all.
So what now?
There… is a place nearby. A building, I was uncertain if it was safe inside.
Really? All I've found was wood wood river wood river wood wood. Oh, and animals about once a minute. There's tons of them here, it was super dangerous until I figured out I could scare them.
Slippy seemed to bob excitedly each time I spoke to her. It was hard to tell, but I was beginning to get the impression she was young, or perhaps just extremely excited to interact with someone.
'How do you do that by the way?' I asked 'Is it Psionics?
'I…' She hesitated, I'd hit of something she didn't like talking about. 'Talking like now is just natural to me, I don't have to try or do anything. But I can push hurt at dumber creatures too. They hate it, they don't understand and it terrifies them… it's pretty terrible feeling their panic so I try to do it as quickly and gently as possible.'
Psionics +1 (6)
Putting aside the bump to Psionics which apparently was slowly ticking up just from talking to Slippy, an idea occurred to me.
It was dumb. I shouldn't do it. But the curiosity gnawed at me the moment it occurred, 'What if?'.
Could you, try and push hurt at me? I want to try something.
Slippy looked a little dumbfounded. 'What? Why… even if I'm gentle it's still horrible. I don't want to do that to you.'
'Trust me,' I said. I had to know.
Slippy stood atop the branches motionless, the seconds stretching out. Her eyes didn't blink, but I could tell she was thinking hard.
…Okay.
I was about to ask when she was going to start when I felt it-
-drill through my skull and ram hot coals directly inside. Fire filled my nerves as I dropped bonelessly like a ragdoll, utterly unable to even think.
'Oh my goodness I'm so sorry!' Slippy cried, racing forward to stop me from sliding right off the branch I'd crumpled onto.
It was a thousand times worse than what I imagined it would be, but as I blacked out from the pain, I couldn't help but wiggle my face-suckers in a smile.
Mentalism (20) Perk! "Plate Juggler"
[Your working memory is now increased by MENTALISMLVL%x2 and all penalties from multitasking are reduced by MENTALISMLVL%. At level fifty, this boon's multipliers double and at level eighty double again.]
[You may reduce your working memory in a direct tradeoff instead of experiencing mental trauma.]
There was only one word for the sensation of one's mind expanding 40% in an instant… euphoria.
New Quest! "Whip me Harder"
[You've discovered a path to power beyond combat. Convince ten different entities to subject you to harm in your search for the autonomy to defy creation. Grow. Advance. Consume. 1/10]
[Reward: Secret Skill]
- - - - -
You're awake!
Ow. Is this what a hangover feels like?
I ignored the fact that I just remembered what hangovers were. At this point it was obvious I had an entire lifetime of experiences inside my head that only resurfaced when tangential thoughts caused them too.
Life +1 (13)
Taking the edge off with some Life, I pulled myself back up to look around. Slippy and I were still up in the branches together. The girl was standing near me, presumably having held me still so I didn't go over either edge while insensate.
That had been a very dumb idea, but that feeling of gaining a Perk… it had been ecstasy. I'd felt strong, large, substantial. I wanted to feel that way again. I could already tell I was keeping track of more of my surroundings effortlessly than I could before. 'Working Memory' wasn't the same as intelligence, but it could do a reasonable impersonation of it in a lot of situations. The crazy thing was I wasn't even feeling the full effects right now, {Plate Juggler} was automatically exchanging some of the extra mind I'd gained to sooth the trauma of experiencing pure pain for a few seconds so that I felt neutral about the whole thing.
'Please never ask me to do that again,' Slippy said, having slunk a short distance away now that I was conscious. 'You reacted way worse than you should have, I don't think it's healthy.'
Yeah, good idea. Never again.
If I raised my MEN, we were doing that again.
'That building you mentioned, which way was it?' Slippy asked. She seemed eager to move the topic onto something else. In retrospect, I'd been super reckless throwing myself at her mercy like that. Luckily though, she was harmless. Well, friendly perhaps, 'harmless' didn't seem like the right description.
'This way,' I thought, picturing my memory of our surroundings and where I'd come from. 'Can you check the inside?'
My range is over 200 metres, there are one or two animals that direction but as long as your memory is correct then they are not where the building is.
'Impressive,' I thought to myself as I got up to start moving back the way I'd first ran. The way Slippy bobbled shyly and blushed a little green told me she'd heard that, I'd need to be careful about thinking distinct thoughts.
- - -
Athletics +1 (12)
Climbing +1 (11)
[Slippy: Add to Party] Y/N?
The prompt appeared half-way back to the concrete structure I'd originally surveyed. Things were much less tense now and as an unexpected additional boon, the camouflaged drone that drew creatures to me twice before had not made a reappearance. Perhaps it knew that Slippy would simply drive them away long before I even saw them?
I was not sure which to choose. There was no time limit or anything, so I chose to not choose and simply ignore the message; it receded to the periphery of my consciousness where it subtly prodded me for a choice now and then but was otherwise silent.
Aside Slippy playing 'how many questions can I possibly fit into one minute', (which didn't go very far considering neither of us knew anything about ourselves save for the Room and being dumped here) there was only one other thing of note that happened along the way. But boy was it a doozy.
I'd grown curious of clear-mucus that allowed Slippy to live up to her namesake. It had become clear that while it was a slush to anyone else, to Slippy it was as sticky or frictionless or hard or soft as she needed moment to moment. On one occasion she literally went upside-down along a branch next to me without needing to hold onto anything.
Analysis +1 (8)
So I reached out to touch some partway through out trek, not expecting much except the chance to maybe push {Analysis} or {Perception} higher. Instead, when my finger broke the firm yet fragile surface-tension of the mucus trail behind Slippy, I saw GREEN.
Green-Pixie +1 (1)
I immediately was aware of a tiny fleck of green light popping into existence next to me.
Her name was 'Fiesty'.
Gaining a level in {Green} was entirely different to anything else before it. Every other Skill up until now had barely come with instructions, I'd even leveled {Analysis} partly from figuring out things about other Skills that they hadn't told me. But Green was the precise opposite.
I knew Fiesty like I knew my own hand. She was a construct born of my desire to live, a minuscule fairy-like creature no larger than a thumbnail. As the green light faded down to a single pinprick sized mote denoting the location of Fiesty's heart, I could see that she took after the classical fairy trope in every way you'd assume. A porcelain white body adorned in pink tutu and translucent rainbow coloured butterfly wings. A tiara adorning her blue-green streaked blonde hair. Her face looked like a… human, whatever they were, but with four noticeably large razor-sharp fangs. Their placement somehow made her more cute rather than being jarring.
She was not actually alive, or at least, not a separate creature. Fiesty was a reflection of my own soul. So much so that I knew she could borrow any Skill or Magic I ever learned and use them herself with an efficiency equaling her level. Which right now was an abysmal exchange rate, but one day would be profound.
'Oh. My. Goodness. You can see the GREEN!,' Slippy beamed back at me in joy. She giggled as Fiesty began to flitter around her playfully letting off tiny meeps and coos of salutation.
Wow. She's so cool. I thought my 'Anypath' was great, but you got a bonafide little companion out of it.
Normally, my next question would have been what the heck Slippy was talking about. But like I said, the {Green} just made sense on an instinctive level. Just by her talking about it I felt myself become aware of her power the same way she was clearly absorbing information about mine.
The clear-mucus I had been observing was Slippy's Green power in the same way that Fiesty was mine. She could generate it on any surface she was just shy of touching and use it as an intermediary contact medium. It allowed her to move across it as a perfect combination of all material properties, it was perpetually the precisely correct stickiness, viscosity, texture and everything else to aid her movements and branched into outright magical effects such as negating the impact of her weight and momentum on objects she applied it to as well as letting her partially ignore such phenomena like gravity when she was touching it. 'Anypath' was a pretty apt summary, because with it she could climb any object, including those that should have been too fragile or unsteady for anyone to ascend.
The interaction of our two Green powers synergistically expanded both slightly, the effect being more pronounced on me given that I was starting from close to zero. (Though I knew Slippy had received a bonus of some kind for awakening my Green.)
In a flash of brilliant green light, Feisty ballooned in size, rapidly coming to stop at about the size of a closed fist. The fairy eyed me coyly as I noted the now toothpick sized short-spear held in one of her diminutive arms. In her other arm she held spooled up whip which I knew could extend to three times her body length in a heartbeat to reel her into things. It was clear at this size that her clothing and the items she wielded were all semi-incorporeal, a slight transparency evident in all their textures. Little sparkles of green light flowed from her heart constantly to her extremities, occasionally popping and crackling out around her like tiny fireworks.
The show over, Feisty set about patrolling the nearby surrounds for hidden predators that might have somehow slipped through Slippy's blanket of awareness. I knew Feisty would change her current behavior to whatever I wished at the speed of thought, but I agreed with her first instincts. After all, Feisty herself was an example of something Slippy could not detect, as Feisty had no mind of her own. It was still easier to pretend that she was a real living thing rather than just an incredibly lifelike extension of myself, but she did serve as proof-of-fact that we could still be ambushed by a specific sort of danger. And if there was one hole in Slippy's defence, then there could be others; we should stay at least a little on guard.
'Can you do other magic too?' Slippy asked as she watched Feisty fly off just out of sight. 'Talking and my Paths is it for me.'
'We are nearly there,' I deflected, helped by the fact that it was true. Stepping from the branch of one tree to another and pushing aside some foliage did indeed reveal the same building from my memories. 'Still nothing in there?'
'Yeah, still nothing,' Slippy replied, a little mopey from my non-answer.
- - -
I thought it might have been an office building, a long long time ago.
The glass windows were all long shattered, vines and sometimes entire branches having grown in through them. Whatever facades and signage had once adorned its exterior had crumbled and given way to show the brick veneer or bare concrete beneath. The entire structure was imposingly large up close, it looked like it was actually three storeys with one level nearly entirely sunk beneath the swamp as it angled into the ground. Each level of the building likely contained at least two dozen rooms of various sizes, if not significantly more.
The question I kept asking myself as we walked through what would have formerly been a wide two-door front entrance was 'where the hell did this come from?'. It clearly did not belong where it was.
We found ourselves in what would have once upon a time been a food court. Now all that remained were rotting overturned chairs and tables amongst moldy booths stripped bare of all but the basic fittings. Feisty was quite helpful for quickly checking rooms, zipping inside and sending a mental ping if she found anything interesting… or rather, repeatedly letting me know she'd found nothing.
Altogether I wasn't actually disappointed by this. At the moment, no news was good news. Here I had shelter from the elements and I had Slippy to keep away all the things that go bump in the night. It would take some time to check all the rooms (we really would be dumb not too), but after that was done the only real concern left would be food and water.
When the time came to search for those later, not only would I have Feisty, but also {Foraging} and {Investigation} which would inevitably keep ticking up and helping me. In the absolute worst-case scenario where we really kept finding nothing, I mentally prepared myself for what I called the 'Final Gambit'. The Final Gambit was going out and finding a monster to fight until I either died or leveled up and had my hunger/thirst renewed as a side effect.
For now though, we continued on into what I was now thinking was more of a mall than an office prior to its apparent dislocation into the centre of a swamp.
The thought just kept prodding me. Not 'Add to Party Y/N', that was also still there. But the Final Gambit.
We'd been searching the rooms of the old shopping mall room by room for what was likely hours (Feisty agreed on that duration via a quick flight outside to check the sun's position). But all we kept finding was emptied rooms and discarded refuse that had withered under the lingering dampness of the swamp over the passage of years.
And when I say emptied I mean it was clear that the entire building had been ransacked for anything of value. Overall, the ambiance felt distinctly like what you'd expect in a typical cliché apocalypse movie.
The bodies didn't help. BLUE
Oh yes, the bodies. It had taken us a while to find the first, but the further in we went and especially on the upper levels after taking the stairs, they were everywhere. Most of them were not whole, but scattered and splintered into parts, the marrow consumed rather than left to rot.
They were gathered in huddles scattered throughout, the ruins of some bedrolls and other living gear sometimes amongst the morbid scenes. Even with the more intact corpses I couldn't tell the men or women apart because of the advanced state of decay… it was easy to recognize children's smaller forms though.
Some rooms were full of them, like impromptu cemeteries, but evidently people had eventually stopped bothering to move the dead. BLUE!
The picture of what happened had started to form the longer we searched.
On a terribly unfortunate day, an entire mall of people suddenly find themselves transported to an unfamiliar place. Lost and alone, they organize and ration what food is available, likely making some very hard choices as supplies ran thin on who gets to eat. They are buying time, waiting for help to arrive…
…but it never does.
Despite what I may be making it sound like, there were less bodies than I'd expect, perhaps it had been close to closing time when the event had happened. More likely, groups had set off into the swamp trying to find their way out. Given the density of creatures that had been close to me and the fact Slippy confirmed she was still regularly deflecting more from her mental perimeter… I didn't like their chances. BLUE!!
It was mulling over these stranger's likely quite brutal fates that what I'd been missing about my Final Gambit clicked. Why wait? What if Slippy let a single Mutt through at a time, or even drew them towards us? We'd have food, and as a not insignificant bonus, my System seemed to love me fighting things (for some reason) so I would only become stronger from it. One day there might be a monster with powers superior or at the very least resistant to Slippy, on that day I wanted the Stats and Skills to get us through (or at least successfully run).
Logic +1 (8)
I was about to ask Slippy what she thought when we came across something quite unexpected down our current corridor.
Having just come around a corner, we were greeted a sight 40 metres in front of us where the dilapidated storefronts jarringly gave way to red rock and sand. The floor level was uneven, sharply rising nearly a metre where the maroon stone began, as if spliced together from two different places.
Analysis +1 (12)
Actually, that was probably exactly what was going on. As we walked closer, it became clear that another 30 or so metres on, the scene returned to that of the mall. Some partial cave system or desert had been transplanted adhoc into the centre of the mall. I reasoned this had happened more recently, there were no bodies or litter at all within the strange transplanted space.
I briefly hopped up to plant my feet on the sand, it was clammy and matted from the humidity of its new environment, likely quite the departure from its original texture. I felt a little lighter standing in this space, the mall had settled a bit of a funk over me as we'd been exploring and it was nice to have a bit of a (literal) change of scenery.
But, it was time to think about what Slippy and I were going to do next. Turning back to look at the girl slinking not far behind me, I took back in the ruined scene of this part of the mall. There was a small pile of child sized bones off to the left. My face-suckers quirked into a frown as I noticed it, and my head felt BLUE.
9. Was an orphan. Rude and uncooperative. One of the first to be denied rations.
My Blue power had awakened. Unlike Green, which had been light and uplifting, Blue was a heavy weighty thing. The Deadthink, pre and postcognition relating how things had died, would die or could be used to make things die. In its infantile stages as it was now, it was a feed of mostly just tidbits of knowledge. There was the sense that it could take on entirely new dimensions through further growth.
Pulling myself out of my thoughts I turned to lot at Slippy and immediately winced at a new sensation.
Blue-Deadthink +1 (5)
Blue-Deadthink +1 (6)
Has Died. Physically Fragile. Immunocompromised. Developing severe infection.
…
…what?
Are you feeling okay?
…Yeah. Why?
…well great.
We only had a few maybe a quarter hour's worth more rooms to explore, than some choices would need to be made, such as what on earth we were going to do next?
Bait on the Line: Slippy seemed easily persuaded and inclined to follow my lead. I could likely convince her to lure one Mutt at a time to me for 'self-defence practice' or just straight up for food. The strength defeating lots of the creatures would give me might be the difference between life and death in this horrid place. But I was hardly invincible, and this plan was not without risks… I really wanted the sensation of more Levels and Perks though.
[ ] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
[ ] [BonL] One in the hand is worth two in the bush. We should just hunker down and focus on going unnoticed.
[ ] [BonL] Actually, I had a better idea for what we should be doing to raise my Skills (Write in)
Companion Prompt: Yes or no. And zero information on what either would do. Implicitly I had two choices, but technically I had three.
[ ] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[ ] [CP] I selected 'No'.
[ ] [CP] I left the Prompt unanswered. 'Add to Party Y/N' sitting in the periphery of my consciousness.
Extracurricular Study: I was likely going to have time to try and push either new or existing Skills up, but where should my priorities be placed?
(This creates a priority list based on vote numbers. There is no guarantee how many or even if any of these will be attempted or succeed).
(Bonus to rolls with a good idea on how to raise the Skill)
[ ] [ES] My physically inclined Skills seemed easiest to develop. Frankly it was rather silly of me to have not even thought of trying to push up {Stealth} before now.
[ ] [ES] {Psionics} kept ticking up, but aside from a hurtful scream I wasn't actually sure what I could do with it.
[ ] [ES] {Unarmed Combat} and {Unarmoured} were so close to 20. Maybe I could find some way to level them without even having to fight something.
[ ] [ES] I'd discarded {Duel Wield} and {Improvised Weapons} as duds, but now that my life wasn't in immediate danger perhaps I could get them up to something useful.
[ ] [ES] {Life} was a… well it was a lifesaver. I should spend my spare time trying to get it to 20.
[ ] [ES] {Bone Magic} was a thing, and there were a lot of bones around…
[ ] [ES] I should try to find a way to keep improving my {Green-Pixie}
[ ] [ES] {Blue-Deadthink} was mostly not that useful this exact moment, but what if I could get it higher?
[ ] [ES] Think Yellow thoughts. It was be excellent if I could pick up a third supplementary power that I knew I'd immediately have the instincts to use.
[ ] [ES] Actually, I had another Skill in mind. (Write in.)
You show me Yours, I show you Mine: I'd been careful just in case it would be a problem, but I was becoming increasingly sure that my 'System' was not the default way things worked for everyone else. The way Slippy implied an absolute ignorance of such a things existence. I needed to decide how close to keep this secret to my chest.
[ ] [TsmYisyM] Nothing. Slippy seemed trustworthy, but there was literally no benefit to her knowing and plenty of risk.
[ ] [TsmYisyM] Without all the nitty gritty details, it would be helpful to hear Slippy's ideas on how to best ensure our mutual survival. Her having at least a rough idea of how things worked for me was an important part of making that possible.
[ ] [TsmYisyM] Slippy had been nothing but a friend and support. She was naively innocent and genuine. If there was anyone in the world that I could actually trust with the truth, then it was her.
[ ] [TsmYisyM] Write in.
/////////////
Additional Considerations (Optional): Other things the MC should focus on doing or spend time on. Is only enacted if a sufficient proportion of total voters support it.
[ ] [AC] Write in.
Between Slippy and Fiesty, I'm not sure who is best girl in this post-apocalyptic hellscape
I'm inclined to choose either Yellow, to see what the last colour possesses, or Unarmed combat + Unarmoured, just to see what skill we can get
Dual Wielding + Improvised Weapons may also be something fun to see. For example, you could end up whacking people, or whatever over the head with two plastic chairs.
She was not actually alive, or at least, not a separate creature. Fiesty was a reflection of my own soul. So much so that I knew she could borrow any Skill or Magic I ever learned and use them herself with an efficiency equaling her level. Which right now was an abysmal exchange rate, but one day would be profound.
The clear-mucus I had been observing was Slippy's Green power in the same way that Fiesty was mine. She could generate it on any surface she was just shy of touching and use it as an intermediary contact medium. It allowed her to move across it as a perfect combination of all material properties, it was perpetually the precisely correct stickiness, viscosity, texture and everything else to aid her movements and branched into outright magical effects such as negating the impact of her weight and momentum on objects she applied it to as well as letting her partially ignore such phenomena like gravity when she was touching it. 'Anypath' was a pretty apt summary, because with it she could climb any object, including those that should have been too fragile or unsteady for anyone to ascend.
Feisty ballooned in size, rapidly coming to stop at about the size of a closed fist. The fairy eyed me coyly as I noted the now toothpick sized short-spear held in one of her diminutive arms. In her other arm she held spooled up whip which I knew could extend to three times her body length in a heartbeat to reel her into things.
I wonder at what level she'll need to be to be person sized, and if she can just continue to grow until she becomes a giant. Also, that looks like she's using Duel Wield and maybe Improvised Combat as well.
Ha! What are the chances that Splitter used to be sick, or maybe had an encounter with Truck-kun?
[ ] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
[ ] [BonL] One in the hand is worth two in the bush. We should just hunker down and focus on going unnoticed.
I'm very tempted to go for it. More levels is definitely a good thing, and more food is also a plus, but it still seems like Splitter is part of some experiment or game. Maybe trying to cheese the system like this would draw in even stronger stuff. But this hesitancy can be extended to sheltering as well. If we try to hide in one place, then what's to stop the alarm from sounding off. At this point, that last part makes the most sense. Splitter is being forced to fight, so it's best to take small steps rather than risk being dog piled.
[ ] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[ ] [CP] I selected 'No'.
I'm thinking that we accept, and any reason I can come up with to reject this seems too speculative and paranoid.
[ ] [ES] My physically inclined Skills seemed easiest to develop. Frankly it was rather silly of me to have not even thought of trying to push up {Stealth} before now.
Stealth would certainly be helpful, but most of the PHY Skills seem to leveling steadily even as Splitter simply climbs and travels. So I'm content to not focus this.
[ ] [ES] {Psionics} kept ticking up, but aside from a hurtful scream I wasn't actually sure what I could do with it.
This is tempting, but I don't know if it's the most important since we have Slippy here.
[ ] [ES] {Unarmed Combat} and {Unarmoured} were so close to 20. Maybe I could find some way to level them without even having to fight something.
Also tempting, but it also seems like something that'll be achieved on it's own. Though there is the argument on wether or not it's best to take such a risk.
[ ] [ES] I'd discarded {Duel Wield} and {Improvised Weapons} as duds, but now that my life wasn't in immediate danger perhaps I could get them up to something useful.
I'm troubled by these Skills. I got them, and I still anticipate they have the potential to, for their synergies with other Skills at the high end. Shapeshifting limbs and whatnot for an unpredictable style of combat. But as exemplified when Splitter grabbed the stick earlier, Unarmed Combat sort of carries these. That's to say, I've already been questioning if these two Skills would be things we switch out when it comes time to respec. Feisty seems to be using them, but I don't know if it's worth it even trying to grind it.
[ ] [ES] {Life} was a… well it was a lifesaver. I should spend my spare time trying to get it to 20.
We can do this, but from it's last use it seems like Life can tire Splitter out. So maybe take the option to grind if we take this.
[ ] [ES] {Bone Magic} was a thing, and there were a lot of bones around…
We can do this, but I'd rather not have Splitter play with the bodies of innocent people who died horrifically. All the while he'll probably only learn more about them.
[ ] [ES] I should try to find a way to keep improving my {Green-Pixie}
I'm very tempted by this. Feisty is like another Splitter. Getting her higher leveled could mean more healing, it's another pair of eyes, and seeing her in action might do something to Duel Wield and Improvised Combat. Splitter and Slippy can maybe get together and both try to level the it Green Skills, so there's that as well.
[ ] [ES] {Blue-Deadthink} was mostly not that useful this exact moment, but what if I could get it higher?
This Skill has a lot of potential, with the whole bit about knowing how things can/will die, but it seems like the type of thing that will take time to level. It's described as heavy, and Splitter winced when he turned it on Slippy. So, I think it would be best to have this one level passively.
[ ] [ES] Think Yellow thoughts. It was be excellent if I could pick up a third supplementary power that I knew I'd immediately have the instincts to use.
Having Yellow would definitely be helpful, but I'm unsure if this is how it's gotten though. Yellow is Concepts, so the way to get this might be to meditate and think on Things.
[ ] [TsmYisyM] Without all the nitty gritty details, it would be helpful to hear Slippy's ideas on how to best ensure our mutual survival. Her having at least a rough idea of how things worked for me was an important part of making that possible.
Like with the Party vote, I'm inclined to go with Slippy here. Giving her a brief overview seems like it can help.
I'm not going to finalIze my votes yet, and I'll check back later.
Alright, I'm back and there's a lot to talk about. I find myself saying this again, but it's no less true. This is a Sly Quest, and he's being super open with this system.
I want to talk about this chapter and the choices here, I want to follow up on my last big post from yesterday, and there's room to talk about Skills and synergies and such. Though that last part might be best for another post, we'll see.
Slippy is important to this chapter and it's choices, so a lot that I talk about will include her in some way. First off, I think it's pretty clear that Slippy is just as she appears to be. She didn't take advantage of Splitter when he went unconscious, she's been totally forthright and talked about stuff only Homuns should know. If all of that wasn't enough, Blue gave us information that basically seals the deal in my mind that she's a Homun.
In my first post today I made some jokes about Isekai cliches, and think that's true for Splitter as well. They were both once humans, and in a dark twist on your standard reincarnation/transportation by a ROB here they are.
Going further than this, is the vote about adding her to the Party. From her reaction to Splitter in this chapter, it seems like she's lacks the understanding that Splitter has of this system. The Nexus. Yet it seems like the Nexus is just as present, and Splitter is just conscious of it in a way most probably aren't. That's to say, I think that this Party mechanic is something that is 'natural'. That means it's less likely there'll be any nasty surprises. So, just what is a Party in the Nexus? For us, I would guess that it makes Splitter and Slippy a team. Meaning that they might not be able to grind Skills like what we saw happen with Mentalism.
It's for this reason that I'm considering telling her everything. Slippy has been Best!Girl, and she had a free chance to completely screw Splitter. Instead, she's been his friend. Part of me doesn't want to lay too much on her at once, but why shouldn't we try to help her? On that note, what if this is like a Hunger Games scenario? Slippy basically no sells any ambushes by mundane creatures. With Splitter's PHY stats and abilities, plus Green-Pixie, other major weak points are covered.
So what if the one who put them here, and has been activating the alarms, wants there to be only one Homun to make it out? I don't know, maybe I'm being paranoid but even if this is true I think it's worth it to try and befriend Slippy. Even should the worst come and she tried to start something, I give Splitter fair odds of getting the ability to overpower her.
With that in mind, there is what happened at the beginning of the chapter. Splitter's reaction to Slippy's attack was far more dramatic than what should be normal, and his Mentalism went up a lot. I think the reason for his reaction is because he has Psionics. I think it's a road that goes both ways, Splitter can reach out but others can also reach in. Maybe it's like having a door, one that Splitter can open and close but that'll always be weaker than a sealed wall. That dealer wall being a mind that has no Psionics.
Going through all of this, I want to talk about Extracurricular Study and Additional Considerations. I'm thinking about Green and Green-Pixie. With the focus on MEN Skills, I think Splitter has good odds of leveling other things while meditating. Logic, Analysis, Mentalism, maybe Life, and maybe even stuff on the Spectrum. Green, Blue, and Yellow.
So, that means a write-in. I'm thinking of pointing out how Green leveled up, and how it's so unique to Splitter and Slippy. Which is important when Feisty looks like a human.
She's not dead. She's not sickly, she doesn't have an infection, and she can walk. In fact, she can walk anywhere she wants in any way that she likes. Which is because of Anypath, her unique mainifestation of Green.
Before I finalize my vote though, I wanted to talk about the table once more. Yesterday I speculated that Skills turned green and gained a bonus when placed in the same category as their Primay. But we see this turn that Life and Essentialism are no longer green. Last chapter Foraging, Investigation, Green, and Blue were at zero but now they're leveled and are green. So maybe it's a case where they turn green when they're first used, but last chapter Essentialism was green and it's still at zero. So maybe it signifies that they gained exp? But if that were the case, why wouldn't the Skills that leveled up also be green. Though looking at the tables closely, it seems like the Skills that leveled up have their levels green. As skills like Unarmed Combat didn't get any use and didn't level up, so it's not colored at all. Considering that Essentialism was green, and it's level was not, I may have it. When a level is green thats because it has leveled up, and when a Skill is green thats because it has gained experience.
Which has nothing to do with placement on the table, which means that they could still be representative of Primaries and Secondaries. Though, really, I doubt it. Maybe it's randomized, maybe placement has no meaning, maybe maybe maybe.
So, here goes.
[X] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
[X] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[X] [ES] I should try to find a way to keep improving my {Green-Pixie}
[X] [TsmYisyM] Slippy had been nothing but a friend and support. She was naively innocent and genuine. If there was anyone in the world that I could actually trust with the truth, then it was her.
[X] [AC] Meditate on your life, and your Life. Remember what you were thinking of when {Green-Pixie} leveled up, and the significance of what form Green takes for you and Slippy. She isn't dead, and she seems totally fine. There are things you know about without having any idea of why or what they mean. The room, the voice, the portal, the alarm, your body and knowledge, this building and this cave system. Something's going on here.
I don't know if this write-in is acceptable or not. If it covered too many subjects, let me know and I'll try to trim it down.
[] [ES] {Bone Magic} was a thing, and there were a lot of bones around…
As for the skills, something new for sure. Better pick it up now than wonder wtf to do with it in middle of a fight.
So Bone Magic. A good buff would go a long way, especially for fights.
[] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[] [TsmYisyM] Slippy had been nothing but a friend and support. She was naively innocent and genuine. If there was anyone in the world that I could actually trust with the truth, then it was her.
I am for full cooperation with Slippy here. Both Party and System reveal.
For all we know, she's hiding her own System as well, and is just better at subtlety, being a more SOC/MEN character.
She is nice and useful and came from same place as us. So probably a fellow converted human.
Also a complimentary build, covering our weaknesses. Win-win all around.
[] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
Really, might as well. It's highly likely we'll get something big coming our way, if not because of the System-master (the hypothetical IC equivalent of QM, essentially), then simply because a big monster will wake up and wreck havoc... or something else stumbles onto us.
Better have a level or two more before that comes.
And I like the contemplation write-in. Don't want Splitter to end up a dumb brute, and just like such wonderings, especially if they have a chance for gaining power.
[X] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
[X] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[X] [TsmYisyM] Slippy had been nothing but a friend and support. She was naively innocent and genuine. If there was anyone in the world that I could actually trust with the truth, then it was her.
[X] [ES] {Bone Magic} was a thing, and there were a lot of bones around…
[X] [AC] Meditate on your life, and your Life. Remember what you were thinking of when {Green-Pixie} leveled up, and the significance of what form Green takes for you and Slippy. She isn't dead, and she seems totally fine. There are things you know about without having any idea of why or what they mean. The room, the voice, the portal, the alarm, your body and knowledge, this building and this cave system. Something's going on here.
[X] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
[X] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[X] [ES] {Bone Magic} was a thing, and there were a lot of bones around…
As for the skills, something new for sure. Better pick it up now than wonder wtf to do with it in middle of a fight.
[X] [TsmYisyM] Slippy had been nothing but a friend and support. She was naively innocent and genuine. If there was anyone in the world that I could actually trust with the truth, then it was her.
[X] [AC] Meditate on your life, and your Life. Remember what you were thinking of when {Green-Pixie} leveled up, and the significance of what form Green takes for you and Slippy. She isn't dead, and she seems totally fine. There are things you know about without having any idea of why or what they mean. The room, the voice, the portal, the alarm, your body and knowledge, this building and this cave system. Something's going on here.
Bone Magic seems like a good choice, gotta harness the power of calcium
Yeah, green means the stat changed, either up or down. Just like in the other quest.
[X] [BonL] Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the potential Perks were too good to pass up.
[X] [CP] I selected 'Yes'.
[X] [ES] I should try to find a way to keep improving my {Green-Pixie}
[X] [TsmYisyM] Slippy had been nothing but a friend and support. She was naively innocent and genuine. If there was anyone in the world that I could actually trust with the truth, then it was her.
[X] [AC] Meditate on your life, and your Life. Remember what you were thinking of when {Green-Pixie} leveled up, and the significance of what form Green takes for you and Slippy. She isn't dead, and she seems totally fine. There are things you know about without having any idea of why or what they mean. The room, the voice, the portal, the alarm, your body and knowledge, this building and this cave system. Something's going on here.
I wanted to leave this for a bit, but since it has come up I figured I would talk about it.
When it comes time to respec, I think getting Death is critical (provided that we keep the theme of the build). I say this because I've been reading The Menocht Loop, which is one of the inspirations for the Nexus. The mc essentially masters their Death affinity, and what we see him do is crazy. I get that he can only do it because of his mastery, but even the basics are desirable for this build. Carnimancy, Osteomancy, and Thralling are all kind of like specializations of Decemancy and I feel like they have a particular synergy with what we already have going on here.
Here's one of the best examples of what top tier Decemancy can achieve:
"...ripping through the water, forming a bone construct around myself out of drowned bones; tearing through the skies like a rocket; digging the bones into my own skin and grafting foreign flesh around them; slamming into Menocht Bay like a hurricane, leveling half of the city with my speed and strength; thralling as many people as I could touch to stop breathing.
Me adding a city's worth of bones to my mega-construct, a four-legged lizard beast with me at its head, then doing as much as I can to decimate the entire province of Illuet."
Carnimancy to control flesh, Osteomacy to control bone, and Thralling to control living things. All by manipulating Death Energy. With the addition of Life Energy, and Magics like Bone Magic, Skin Magic, and Plastic Magic, this seems like it could be incredibly potent.
I could start talking about builds and Skills and all that, but I'm going to focus on this. Though I will say that I'm not even a seventh of the way through, and that the Light Affinity also seems to have some healing abilities.
As for the skills, something new for sure. Better pick it up now than wonder wtf to do with it in middle of a fight.
So Bone Magic. A good buff would go a long way, especially for fights.
That said, I find myself favoring just about any Skill other than Bone Magic. I'll admit that a big part is simply hesitance. Will Splitter need to use bone weapons, or otherwise carry bone on him? Will he be able to mess with bone inside his opponents, or would he have to expose it to his sight or otherwise touch itThose basic Mutts had bone plates, so they're probably vulnerable to Bone Magic but Splitter has rapidly outpaced them.
So I find myself looking at almost any other Skill. Acrobatics, Dodge, Climbing, and Athletics are all great things for Combat. I'd love to see Improvised Weapons and Duel Wield actually get some use. Perks from Unarmored and Unarmed Combat would be super strong, and would lessen the risk of going out to fight.
That said, I find myself favoring just about any Skill other than Bone Magic. I'll admit that a big part is simply hesitance. Will Splitter need to use bone weapons, or otherwise carry bone on him? Will he be able to mess with bone inside his opponents, or would he have to expose it to his sight or otherwise touch itThose basic Mutts had bone plates, so they're probably vulnerable to Bone Magic but Splitter has rapidly outpaced them.
I think it's possible for QM to take some inspiration from Worth the Candle's Bone Magic. That one is more focused on draining bones of their Stats to temporarily buff yourself. Pretty useful for unarmed combatant like Splitter, I think.
Really, just want to find out which one is that right now. Possibly there are multiple paths to pursue.
I think it's possible for QM to take some inspiration from Worth the Candle's Bone Magic. That one is more focused on draining bones of their Stats to temporarily buff yourself. Pretty useful for unarmed combatant like Splitter, I think.
Really, just want to find out which one is that right now. Possibly there are multiple paths to pursue.
That makes sense. I believe the other story that inspired the Nexus is The Perfect Run. That's been on my reading list of a while, but I'm unfamiliar with that system.
That said, the Affinities mostly seem to come straight from The Menocht Loop. I saw someone (could've been you) talking about WtC and Revelations. So maybe Semblences also came from WtC, and Aspects/Reaches are from The Perfect Run. Or Revelations, Semblences, and Aspects are a mix of WtC and The Perfect Run. Just to be clear. I've known of WtC for a long while but I haven't actually read it.
That said, what would you say Bone Magic's functionally would be? Carrying pieces of bone into combat to use as consumables? Or, even when proficiency is gained, it's something that has to be 'refreshed' every once in a while. Like setting aside some time to turn pieces of bone into consumables.
That said, I feel like getting the Perks for Unarmed Combat and Unarmored would be more instantly effective in increasing Splitter's effectiveness. Though that may be my hesitancy speaking.
